Democracy at Work in Egypt

As the Egyptian president, Mohammad Morsi, is told by the military that his rule is over, millions of Egyptians celebrate in the streets. This, my friends, is what democracy looks like. Since his election, Morsi has consolidated more power to himself and his Muslim Brotherhood. The result has been less, not more freedom, in Egypt. And today the people of Egypt have risen up and declared that they will not allow authoritarian rule.

I have been shocked by the reporting of this by the Western news channels. Most are painting this as an illegal military coup that has stripped Egypt of democracy. Shep Smith even said that democracy didn't last long in Egypt. A CNN reporter said Israel will be upset with this, as will many Western countries. (Yeah, I'm sure Israel prefers the man who "Amen'd" a prayer to destroy the Jews to be ruler of Egypt) Most are upset because Morsi was democratically elected, and believe that the people of Egypt should just live him for 4 more years. Well let me clue you in on to what the Egyptian people would have to deal with. Christians imprisoned. Muslim minorities beaten to death. Freedom repressed.

To Americans and other Western countries, deposing an elected president may seem extreme. But you need to remember that in Egypt, there is no set Constitution laying out the laws of the land no matter who is in charge. After Mubarak was deposed, the laws of Egypt were open to change. And Morsi changed them to reflect a more extreme Islamic belief. His Islamic Constitution was not what the people of Egypt voted for and it was not what they wanted. His refusal to meet with and listen to Minority Groups was not what the Egyptian people expected. So yes, Morsi may have been democratically elected, but he was so based on the promises he made to listen to all the voices in Egypt, not just the extreme Islamic ones. And he failed to live up to those promises, and to make Egypt a better place to live. And so democracy in action is playing out in front of our eyes...and Morsi's oppressive regime is gone. Democracy is messy, but it is far better than tyranny. I applaud the Egyptian people on their stand for liberty, for one and all. Let the world take note: this is democracy!

"How did it come to this?"

The level of ignorance in America today astounds me. It seems the majority of people don't know a thing about history, don't know what Socialism is, and have no idea what tyranny looks like in its infancy. Sure, there is a portion of the people who know all these things exactly, but it seems that their message is only heard by those who already believe it and ignored by the masses. It frustrates me greatly to see parallels between history and America today; parallels of tyranny, absolutism, nationalism, socialism. Parallels to horrors, death, and slavery.

Yet most ignore it, choose not to believe it, or honestly think it can't happen here or to them. And if the majority, or even half, of the population refuses to face reality, then what can the informed do? What can those who believe America is headed into times possibly darker than any in history do about it? It seems trying to spread knowledge is the only recourse. But the majority won't listen. And it's damn frustrating.

But honestly, it isn't any different from most of human history. In the 1700's, half of the population of the American colonies refused to believe Britain needed to be rebelled against...until British warships brought troops to America.

In the 1930's, people in Germany welcomed the rise of the Nazis. In Austria, 98% of the population voted to become a part of Nazi Germany thinking it would be better for them. Five years later people were being rounded up and sent to Concentration Camps. In the meantime, the people gladly gave up their guns in order to comply with their new government's wishes. When Jews were forbidden to own guns, they gave them up. 11 million people were killed in Death Camps.

In the 1920's in Turkey, Armenians gave up their guns to the new Muslim government. Millions of them, 3/4 of the Armenian population, were then slaughtered.

In the 1930's in Russia, the Soviet government forced the population to register all their firearms, then used the lists to confiscate them all. Millions were killed or starved to death.

All throughout history, the natural inclination of humanity has been to obey their governments' every decree. In an attempt to remain peaceful, humans do what they are told...and then when they end up victims to violent or tyrannical leadership they ask, "How did this happen?"

History repeats itself, and those who don't know it are doomed to repeat it. I personally believe America is on an unchangeable path towards some bad times. Yet no one seems to care. If things come to pass like I think they will, these same people will one day cry out, "How did it come to this?"

It seems to be human nature to choose ignorance over liberty. Can we expect America to possibly turn out any differently?